"Harry felt Dumbledore's arm twist away from him and re-doubled his grip: the next thing he knew everything went black; he was pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his ear-drums were being pushed deeper into his skull."

Apparition is a magical method of transportation and is basically the magical action of travelling by having the user focus on a desired location in their mind, then disappear from their current location and instantly reappear at the desired location; in short, it is a form of teleportation. It is by far the fastest way to get to one's desired destination, but is tricky to pull off correctly and disastrous if botched up.

Apparition is a very popular method of travel in the wizarding world, though brooms, Floo Powder or portkeys may be preferred as the feeling of Apparition can be unpleasant to some. Albus Dumbledore once noted that most people vomit the first time they successfully Apparate, and according to Harry Potter Apparition feels like being "forced through a very tight rubber tube."[1]

Contents

Description

According to Wilkie Twycross, Ministry of Magic official and Apparition Instructor, one has but to recall The Three D's: Destination, Determination and Deliberation. One must be completely determined to reach one's destination, and move without haste, but with deliberation.[1]

Apparition can cause an audible noise ranging from a small faint pop to a loud crack that may sound to Muggles like a car backfiring. House-elves may also Apparate but without some of the restrictions that wizards have. For example, they can Apparate inside of Hogwarts. Also, when they Apparate, the sound is mostly a loud crack.

Apparition is called Disapparition from the point of view of someone at the place being left, and Apparition from the point of view of someone at the destination, much like the words "disappear" and "appear".

Harry and Hermione Disapparating

Side-Along Apparition

A variant of Apparition used to transport two or more individuals at once is called Side-Along Apparition. This method may be used by adults seeking to transport underage wizards, or in some cases a licensed individual may use this method to transport an injured party. To perform this version of Apparition, the more able party Apparates with the other party holding onto their arm. This method is recommended by the Ministry of Magic for parents with underage children to escape from danger quickly. House-elves can also do Side-Along Apparition.

House-elf Apparition

House elves can also Apparate, and are able to even in places in which wizards are prevented from doing so, such as Hogwarts and 12 Grimmauld Place. In 1998, when Harry, Ron, Luna, Dean, Griphook and Ollivander were imprisoned in the Malfoy Manor cellar while Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, Dobby arrived to rescue them. He first took Luna, Dean and Ollivander to safety by Disapparating to Shell Cottage with them, then returned to help the others.

Licence to Apparate

"Oh, she was perfect, obviously. Perfect deliberation, divination, and desperation or whatever the hell it is — we all went for a quick drink in the Three Broomsticks after and you should’ve heard Twycross going on about her — I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t pop the question soon —"

A Licence to Apparate is required to practise Apparition legally. One must be at least seventeen (17) years old to obtain such a licence. Lessons in Apparition are available, for an additional charge, to students who are or will be of legal age when the next test is administered. This is similar to Muggle schools where road instruction for driving licences is available, but at an additional charge.

While it is physically possible to Apparate without a licence, it is not advisable, because injury could result. Splinching can occur when one has insufficient determination to reach one's goal, causing certain body parts to fail to arrive at the destination with the wizard. For example, Susan Bones's leg when she accidentally Splinched herself during an Apparition lesson, although it was successfully reattached, she was left shaken by the incident.[1] Splinching also occurred in 1997 to Ron Weasley after Disapparating from 12 Grimmauld Place.[2] Ron Weasley also failed his first Apparition test because his examiner saw he had lost half of his eyebrow at the last minute. In cases of unlicenced Apparition, when injury results, the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad can level heavy fines. However, Harry Potter successfully Apparated multiple times without a licence between June 1997 when he brought Albus Dumbledore back to Hogsmeade village by Side-Along Apparition and the end of the Second Wizarding War.

"Splinching, or the separation of random body parts, occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continually upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation…"

Range

Apparition may have a certain range. In 1998, Lord Voldemort was seen by Harry Potter as flying towards Malfoy Manor, thinking to himself that he would soon be near enough to Apparate. This could explain Voldemort's need to fly to locations to check on his Horcruxes, as he may have been out of his range to Apparate. However it is more likely that there are anti-Apparition spells protecting those area, such as Nurmengard, which would have these spells because it is a prison.[2]

Apparition becomes increasingly difficult with the distance to be travelled. Inter-continental Apparition should only be attempted by the most highly skilled of wizards.[3]

Anti-Disapparition Jinx

An Anti-Disapparition Jinx can be used to prevent a wizard from Disapparating from a location. Hogwarts has an Anti-Disapparition Jinx cast upon it for most occasions, and when Harry, Ron, and Hermione Apparated into Hogsmeade shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts, an Anti-Disapparition Jinx was placed on the wizarding village by the Death Eaters to keep the trio trapped there.

There is a method of teleportation used by house-elves which is not influenced by the jinx, as they are bound by more powerful magic requiring them to appear whenever their master calls. However, it may be the case that all known Anti-Disapparition Jinxes work only on humans, for it has been bypassed by creatures such as house-elves and phoenixes.[2]Portkeys can also be used to access or depart from locations bound by an Anti-Disapparition Jinx.

Harry technically broke the law during Deathly Hallows since he had not taken the test. However the nature of the situation means he likely would not have faced charges. At the same time, he was the most wanted wizard in Britain after the Ministry of Magic fell to Voldemort and his Death Eaters, so if he had been caught Apparating, it wouldn't have been the worst of his troubles.

In the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 game, Harry is given the ability to Apparate, yet he never passed his tests. But, as explained above, given the events of him being the most wanted wizard, it would not be the worst of his troubles.

In some translations The Three Ds have been translated to non-canonical words (meaning it's not the correct translation), e.g. 'Deliberation' has been translated to 'Dimention' for the Danish version, despite meaning a whole other thing. This is done to keep The Three Ds.

The ability of Yaxley in Deathly Hallows being able to force Side-Along Apparition by merely holding Hermione's arm, suggests that Apparition may use the same form of magic utilised in Portkeys, as the only requirement for travel via a Portkey is to touch the Key itself. This may be incorrect however, as Portkeys are not affected by Anti-Apparition Jinxes, though this could be because the jinx is set to only work on the specific spell used when Apparating, and is not attuned to the Portus spell.

In the film adaptation of Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Dumbledore Apparated at the Astronomy Tower, seemingly contradicting the fact that no one can Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts. Harry mentioned it to Dumbledore, to which Dumbledore replied, "Well, being me has its privileges". The original script explains this further, having Dumbledore perform a spell upon re-arrival at Hogwarts, explaining to Harry that he is "closing the window" that allowed them to Apparate.[5] Furthermore it is also said that the Headmaster was able to lift and put back the Anti-Apparition Charm and the Anti-Disapparition Jinx.

In the final film, Voldemort can Apparate during the Battle of Hogwarts but it can be explained showing the fact that he broke all the protections, because Harry, Ron and Hermione couldn't Apparate into the castle.

Draco Malfoy appeared to have been able to apparate inside of Hogwarts as well, as he apparently apparated in one of the corridors, grabbed Gregory Goyle and Blaise Zabini, then Disapparated again.

While apparition is mentioned by Ron in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets before making its first appearance later in the series, the concept of side-along apparition is never mentioned before its introduction in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It is possible that it is not normally allowed, as the Ministry's pamphlets describe it as an emergency measure that is in place in light of the dark events of the time.

In the films

In the film adaptations of the series, Apparition differs greatly in deployment from the book series. The appearance of Apparition is also inconsistent between characters and uses.

Death Eaters are shown physically collapsing into thick black plumes of smoke, shooting off into the sky, and being able to go wherever they want to, while doing this. Even that many people think this is apparition, it is not, it is just an ability that was given to the Death Eaters in the movie series. Voldemort, for example, can fly this way, and also really apparating in the standard way. That shows that flying (black smoke) and aparating are diferent things in the movies.

In the Chamber of Secrets film, Dobby the house-elf Apparates in the Dursleys' kitchen. There is a loud popping noise, and Dobby seems to fade away like a rush of slow wind.

In the Goblet of Fire film, Arthur Weasley and other members of the Ministry of Magic Apparate quickly after the disturbance caused by the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup match. There is a faint flash of violet light shown in the place of the Ministry members before they appear.

Somewhat deviating from the books, the way Apparition is portrayed in the films is most likely a stylistic choice made to better suit the visual medium of a film. It could be explained that the style differs by distance. Short range and less intense in the form Death Eaters use, they can fly/Apparate to their destination, long range and more intense the silvery grey blob used by Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter.

In the games

In the video games, Apparition appears like it does in most of the films; black and white clouds of smoke, and people appears like they are flying to their destination.